Hot Ptah

The Braxton Mosaic from my mother. Tyner's "Guitars" and Bridgewater's "Red Earth" from one brother. Two Anat Cohen CDs from the other brother.

I asked my mother for the Braxton Mosaic box set, and there is a wrapped package under the tree from her which has that unmistakeable size and shape! So I am very hopeful!

Hey! Do you think we all turn into pumpkins at age 50?

He sounds resourceful enough to use as a collaborator in ingenious schemes to get more albums into the house without anyone else knowing about it!

Did you call or e-mail Mosaic? On their site those sets are not available for pre-order yet. So does my mother. She likes talking to them so much that she has not wanted to get any birthday or Christmas gift for me other than a Mosaic set, since their first year of operation. Even if I suggest something else, she rejects it, saying that she only wants to talk to those nice people at Mosaic.

Thanks for the suggestion. I want to get deeper into the recordings of this Chicago scene.

Yes, the Delmarks are representative, though some are more successful than others; usually the closer to the present, the better. I'm particularly impressed by Keefe Jackson's "Just Like This" and Jason Ajemian's "The Art of Dying." Another recent very good one is Jason Adasiewicz's "Roll Down" (482 Music). I''ll try to assemble a more comprehensive list, but I don't think you can go wrong with those. I ordered Jason Adasiewicz's "Roll Down", Jason Ajemian's "The Art of Dying", and Keefe Jackson's "Just Like This" from Jazz Record Mart by mail order. They arrived less than a week later. How do I put this--these albums knock my socks off. Jason Adasiewicz's "Roll Down" is one of my three favorite new jazz releases of the past 10 years. The following comparison is not perfect, but I keep thinking as I hear "Roll Down" that if the musicians on Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" album had stayed together as a full time working band for several years, they would have recorded an album like "Roll Down". The comparison is not perfect because there is no one like Dolphy, ever. It is an extremely impressive and very enjoyable album. Keefe Jackson's larger ensemble work, "Just Like This", gets better and better for me with each listen. This is one of the finest jazz large ensemble works of our time. The depth of writing and expression are very impressive. To think that these are younger musicians makes it more staggering. This album blows away virtually every large ensemble album I have heard in the past 20 years. I usually rotate jazz CDs in my car constantly, but "Just Like This" will not come out of the CD player. I am just enjoying it too much. I have not listened to Jason Ajemian's "The Art Of Dying" as often yet, mostly because I can't stop listening to the other two. I was very impressed with it too, in my two listens. Larry, if you have any other CD recommendations from this music community, I would really like to get them!

Another sad aspect of this is that these all-star packages are commonly booked by jazz concert presenters around the U.S., who are in charge of subscription series underwritten by corporations and/or public funds. The presenters apparently believe that these all-star packages will sell tickets, and that a working jazz band headed by a great musician will not.

Joe Farrell Sonny Fortune Wynton Marsalis

Bheki Mseleku

I could make a copy for you. Please PM me with your mailing address.

I read an interview in the newspaper with Jack Paar, in which he said that he had kept the film of the early Tonight Shows for years, but threw it all out before home video became popular. He expressed regret that he had thrown it all out.

According to John Szwed's biography, Sun Ra thought like that.

Booty Wood and his All Stars--Hang in There (1960, Master Jazz Recordings 8102) Johnny Hodges--Alto Sax Paul Gonsalves--Tenor Sax Shorty Baker--Trumpet Booty Wood, Dickie Wells, Vic Dickenson---Trombones Ram Ramirez--Piano, some cuts Sir Charles Thompson--Piano and Chimes, some cuts Aaron Bell--Bass Oliver Jackson--Drums Stanley Dance--"Recording Supervisor"

Charlie Gehringer Hank Greenberg Al Kaline

I have a copy of the Prestige 3 LP box set, "The Great Concert of Eric Dolphy", for trade. I bought this brand new from a retail store. The records have never been played. I took off the shrinkwrap but never played them before I received the Eric Dolphy CD box as a gift, which also has this music on it. So I never played the LPs. These are the live recordings at the Five Spot in New York in June, 1961. The personnel is Booker Little--Trumpet; Eric Dolphy--Alto Sax, Flute, Bass Clarinet; Mal Waldron--Piano; Richard Davis--Bass; Ed Blackwell--Drums. The songs: Fire Waltz; Bee Vamp; The Prophet; Aggression; Like Someone in Love; Number Eight; Booker's Waltz. To me, this is very top notch Dolphy.

I have all 8 of the Down Beat books. No idea about the "value" but I enjoy dipping it to them over the years. Hendersonia came without a dust cover and is worth whatever you dare pay. Edit to say an Amazon seller has one with a dust cover. I ordered mine directly from Allen and it came without. My copy of Hendersonia, purchased from a used music store, also came without a dust jacket.